Review: The Jungle Book

Calling all jungle VIPs! The man-cub is back, in Disney and Jon Favreau’s live action/computer animated retelling of The Jungle Book. Lending their voices to the Rudyard Kipling classic are Sir Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Lupita Nyong’o, Christopher Walken and introducing Neel Sethi as Mowgli. There is another Jungle Book in the works at Warner Brothers’ Studios with Andy Serkis at the helm so how high have Disney set the bar?

After finding him in the middle of the jungle, Bagheera (Kingsley) takes Mowgli (Sethi) to Akela (Esposito) and Raksha (Nyong’o) and the wolf pack to protect and raise him. When the terrifying Bengal tiger Shere Khan (Elba) threatens Mowgli and the wolf pack, Mowgli must leave the only home he has ever known. Guided by Bagheera and Balloo (Murray) to the man village, Mowgli encounters many jungle creatures including a sly and hypnotic python Kaa (Johansson) and a Gigantopithecus called King Louie (Walken) who wants Mowgli to teach him how to control the deadly “Red Flower” i.e. fire.

From the moment the music starts, you’re transported back to the moment you saw the animated version of The Jungle Book for the first time. The excitement builds and doesn’t disappoint. For a movie that is filmed completely on green screen and with CGI animals, it is incredibly realistic. Visual effects (VFX) of that standard are a joy to the eye and helps transport you into the Indian jungle. It is also a huge ask of an actor Neel’s age (around 11 years old at the time of filming). On one hand it can be an advantage to be younger, as your imagination is more active as a child but in terms of the demands of filming, it can be very difficult. This is Neel’s first role in a feature length film and not only that, he’s the lead. His performance is one full of heart and he exudes the love of jungle life that Mowgli has.

All of the voice actors were very well cast in my opinion. Kingsley and Esposito have a sense of wisdom in their voices, so were perfect for Bagheera and Akela. Murray is a loveable goofball in real life so casting him as Balloo must have been a no-brainer. Lupita and Scarlett have very contrasting characters; Raksha is the nurturing mother wolf who has raised Mowgli as one of her own and Kaa (who is now female) is a seductress and lures her prey into a false sense of security. Scarlett’s performance reminded me a little of her role in Spike Jonze’s Her; the voice of a computer who seduced a man, and Kaa has some of those qualities. If you’re not a fan of snakes, you’d still be drawn in just by the sound of her voice. Elba’s menacing tones as Shere Khan are perfect, and when compared to his role as Chief Bogo in Zootropolis, he shows that he knows how to emote just through the power in his voice. They’re contrasting characters and goes to show how versatile he can be. The only person who could challenge him in the Menacing Tones World Cup is Benedict Cumberbatch who, ironically, is playing the same role in Warner Bros.’ offering.

One voice performance I haven’t mentioned yet it Christopher Walken as King Louie. This is deliberate as he may not have that much screen time but there is plenty to discuss about the new version. In the animated version, King Louie is an orangutan but as many zoologists will tell you, orangutans don’t live in the Indian jungle. Hence Walken’s King Louie is a Gigantopithecus – a colossal ape who is said to have inhabited parts of India, China and Southeast Asia before becoming extinct. This change not only fits in with the location of the story, but also for the character himself. King Louie is larger than life and rules over his subjects like a Mafia Don, and Walken was the perfect choice to voice him.

Unfortunately this amazing revamp of the character is near ruined by the inclusion of the classic song “I Wanna Be Like You”. When the character was a goofy orangutan, the song fit perfectly but it completely contradicts the Godfather-esque version we have here. In contrast, “The Bare Necessities” also features in the film but is an almost direct copy from the animated feature. It’s only a snippet of the song but fits in with the scene and the characters as Balloo is still the life loving bear he always was. It seems to me like “I Wanna Be Like You” was only included because the fans expected it to be and not because it belonged there. It’s a shame as up until then the film had a clear direction. This is a non-musical version with the joy of “The Bare Necessities” snippet as a throwback, but by including “I Wanna Be Like You” it takes away from the scene rather than adds to it.

The Jungle Book is a feast for the eyes and soul. Fans of the animated Jungle Book and the classic novel will adore it as it captures the essence of the story that we fell in love with. It is much scarier than previous iterations so be careful if you’re bringing small children or big scaredy cats like me. Jon Favreau and Disney have done a great job and set The Jungle Book bar extremely high for Warner Brothers to try and match.

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About The Author

Geek Ireland Talent Manager, Film and TV enthusiast who is a Disnerd in every sense of the word: Animation, Pixar, Live action, Marvel and especially, Lucasfilm lover. Also be warned - don't talk to her before she's had at least 1 cup of tea....for your own safety.